The present invention is directed to clamping devices and more particularly to a simplified structure for clamping and providing strain relief for a varying number of cable elements.
A cable clamping device should have a simple structure, devoid of critical dimensions while being easy to assemble and providing a positive cable holding capability. In addition, it is desirable to use a clamp where a single design and size can provide for all or a wide range of applications.
In the structure of the present invention a clamp member is formed from a single blank of resilient sheet material such as steel with the retaining legs and cable engaging spring clamp member formed from the blank. The only cooperating structure required for use of the clamp is a pair of apertures in the plate member that forms the surface against which the cable is to be retained. The assembly of the clamp member to the plate to hold captive and retain a cable straddled by the legs requires only that the depending leg members be inserted into the cooperating pair of plate apertures until turned leg member distal ends clear and spring behind the opposite plate surface to effect positive retention. The illustrated design, particularly adaptable to holding flat cable, will clamp a single cable or a stack of several cables and is also adaptable to varying thicknesses of cooperating apertured plates. Accordingly, the same size and dimension clamp may be used not only with various numbers of cables, but also with various thickness panels enabling the clamping to relatively thin sheet metal surfaces or relatively thick frame elements. In addition, where the capacity of the clamp is moderately exceeded retention is effected by shoulders on the clamp leg elements displaced away from the terminal ends.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cable clamp and strain relief that is simple in design, easily installed and requires minimal preparation of the cooperating member. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a clamp that is usable in a single size to clamp a varying number of cables and cooperable with cooperating apertured plate members of varying thickness. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.